Paving a New Road
by Araulen
Summary: For 26 year-old Ryker, life was running, running, fighting, running. When he sees something that makes him question what he works for, he decides to abandon his cause. Along the way, friends are formed, and bonds are made, but can he really escape his past? Rated T for language and violence. It is a combo of old lore and non canon. (NOW ON HIATUS)
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes:**

 **Hello readers! My name is Araulen and I just started writing on this site for the first time. I've always been a huge fan of many literary works on this site, and when I ran out of long stories to read, I thought, hey why not right my own. Ionia has always been an interesting spot for me, and I feel like I can do my best while writing about it. Also the fact there aren't a lot of Irelia and Karma stories O_o.**

 **Anyways, just wanted to say welcome, and if you enjoy, please leave a comment, or pm me on how to make the story better. I will try to update as often as I can, but I've got a lot of school work to do.**

 **Thank you!**

 **Note: I don't own Riot, or League of Legends, or its characters, but I own my OCs.**

* * *

 **Paving a New Road**

 **Chapter 1**

The trees flew past him as he dashed through the forest. Rain drenched him and impeded his progress as it turned the dirt into mud. The mud seemed to cling to his feet and shoes as he went on. His shoes were torn and his feet were sore from the rugged terrain. His grey shirt was torn in many places from the grasp of vines and branches, seeming to grab at him as he flew past. Multiple cuts and scratches had found themselves on his face as he raced ahead, seemingly oblivious to everything around him. He heard bushes being crushed behind him as someone or something chased after him. His pursuer's footsteps could be heard faintly behind him in the roaring of the rain and wind. _So it's a person that's after me. At least that's something normal… unlike some of the other hell-beasts they've sent before._

He put on a sudden burst of speed and jumped over a rock into a clearing. Charging down the field, the man tried to make it to the other side and try to lose his pursuer in the overgrowth. The rain lessened as he made his way across the field. _Almost there, I'll make it,_ he thought, gasping for breath, _already half way there._

Suddenly, behind him, a shout rang through the clearing.

"RYKER!" his pursuer yelled.

Ryker abruptly stopped, his wet face in shock as he slowly turned around. At the edge of the clearing, stood his old friend, Jordan. Ryker's tried to regain his breath as he faced his opponent on the field. Their eyes locked onto each other as they stared across the field. For a few moments, all they did was watch each other. The grassy turf was slick with water and was empty of life save for the two men standing in the field. The rain had finally stopped and nothing could be heard. The tension was so thick, Ryker thought he could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his chest. The clouds cast a gloomy shadow over them as Ryker finally shook himself out of his stupor.

"Why are you here Jordan?" Ryker asked.

"You know why," Jordan said in a somber voice.

"You saw what they did. You know why I left. I should ask you why you're not leaving with me."

"Ryker, I saw what happened, but they rebelled against the master. He couldn't let something like that go unpunished. I know that what he did was unorthodox, but come back with me. The master will forgive you and explain what he did, but only if you come back. This is the last time he will extend this graciousness. We both know that the price for deserting is death. He's given you many opportunities to—," he explained before he was cut off.

"Jordan, if you're going to say, 'return peacefully with him,' then you can stop right there. Do you know what he has sent after me? What kind of beasts and monsters I've had to deal with? Because I'm pretty sure you start peace talks with words, not 6 inch claws," Ryker said disdainfully.

"But—," he tried.

"Shut up Jordan. I know you don't believe the shit that's coming out of your mouth right now. We both know he's going to kill me if I return with you 'peacefully'."

Jordan was silent for a moment. He seemed to be trying to think of something to say and he opened his mouth and closed it a few times before looking at the ground. Finally, after a pregnant pause, he looked up.

"Ryker…"

"What?"

"Did you know he would send a person after you?"

"After all the fucked-up demons the so-called 'master' sent to me? Well… let's just say that I thought he would try to use something more familiar to me to use my emotions against me. It doesn't surprise me he took this long, though. After what he did to the Ionian village, I didn't think he thought humans were useful." Ryker said, looking away from his friend.

"So you knew." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"Did you know he would send me? You said you knew that he would send someone that was familiar to you. Do you how deep a hole I'm in? I'm already suspected of helping you escape the camp. I'm not the only one either. He suspects the entirety of Cabin 14. I volunteered for this mission to protect them and because the only way to prove myself innocent was to go and find you. You're right, he doesn't care if you are brought back, just as long as you're dead. And what do you think happens if I just let you go and return all the merry way I came with you still alive? The master knows if we lie to him, every time. If I lie to him, you know the punishment he has set aside for a someone who displeases him. If I return back to him without you dead, in his eyes, that's a clear sign of treason. On the other hand, if I run with you, he'll kill everyone from our cabin, not to mention the fact that he'll know where I am," Jordan lifted his neck and showed a band of light made of runes grasping his throat, "So you see, my options are pretty limited. You put me in this mess, and I have to get myself out of it."

Ryker didn't respond. Instead he drew his sword and pointed it at his friend-turned enemy.

"Leave and I won't kill you. Tell the master that I bested you and fled at the first moment to gain some ground. You could never beat me in sparring, so he wouldn't suspect a thing. Out of respect for what we once were, I will give you this one chance to leave. I won't give you another chance," he said, his voice hard.

"I'm sorry, Ryker, I can't leave. I have to kill you to regain my status with the master," as he shook his head sadly.

He pulled out his sword and walked a few yards away from Ryker and pointed his sword in a familiar stance. The sword swished through the air as he pulled it out of its sheath. Jordan's sword was a one-and-a-half hand hilt with a 4-foot double-edged unbreakable blade with runes carved onto either side. The steel blade was a masterpiece, made from the finest Kashuri smiths in Ionia centuries ago. It was the same sword he had used when they last sparred.

Ryker pulled out his own sword and lifted it into a basic sword stance; sword behind his head, pointed towards his opponent. His sword was a two-handed steel death bringer. The blade was like Jordan's, double-edged and runes carved onto either side, and indestructible as well, but that was where the similarities ended. Unlike Jordan's, Ryker's was 5 feet long, 2½ inches across and way thinner than the other sword. In fact, it was so thin that without magic, the sword would have waved in the air and smashed from the first strike. But magic played a crucial part in the making of the sword. Ryker's sword was forged from a steel not known to Valoran, and with magic lost a millennium ago. When Ryker's sword was found, no one knew where it was from, but a force around the sword prevented anyone from taking it, except for Ryker. Even though it was two-handed, Ryker could easily hold it in one hand. That was the first time, and only time since, that the sword's runes glowed with a light blue energy as it seemed to accept Ryker's touch. It had been Ryker's closest companion ever since.

The air between them was thick with tension as they analyzed each other's stances and shifts. They circled each other unconsciously as they watched each other like hawks. The sun peaked over the clouds above and filled the area with light.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jordan set his feet firmly into the ground and motioned for Ryker to make his move. Ryker dashed forward with a lunge, getting parried by a slash from Jordan. Jordan countered with a low sweep of his blade. Ryker jumped over the slash at his leg and switched to a reverse grip and slashed at Jordan's neck while spinning. Jordan brought his blade up at the last second and was sent staggering backwards from the momentum of the blow.

Ryker's movements were flowing and calculated, while Jordan moved around in an uncoordinated daze, trying to stop Ryker's relentless strikes. Their dance of blades moved seemed to cut the air itself, their movements pressing them within a hair's breadth of each other before momentum pushed them away from each other. Their bodies were slick from the sweat of their exertion. Jordan came again with another overhead slash, and Ryker motioned to block it again, but feinted a block while turning sideways to avoid the blow. He grabbed Jordan's sword arm and kneed him in the stomach. He used the hilt of his sword to smash Jordan's head. Jordan was sent reeling as Ryker moved away from Jordan, hesitant to kill his former friend.

Jordan shook his head, clearing the blood from a cut on his head, and shut away his dizziness from the blow. He yelled as he jumped towards Ryker with a lunge. Ryker slashed it away from his body and punched Jordan in the nose while he was off balance. Jordan staggered back and allowed Ryker to launch into a series of blindingly fast strikes that were dazzling to the eye. His sword flashed around in the light like a prism, seeming to magnify the intensity of the light.

Jordan tried to defend himself but couldn't keep up with Ryker's furious onslaught. Jordan stuttered slightly in his defense and Ryker punished him mercilessly for the opening. Not 10 seconds passed before Ryker smashed the hilt of Jordan's blade and knocked the sword out of his hand. Ryker slashed his unarmed opponent from the shoulder down to his hip, the sword biting deep into bare flesh as blood spurted from the opening. Jordan gasped in pain before falling to the ground. He lay still as Ryker dropped his sword and rushed to his friend. He got on his knees and propped Jordan's head up against his legs.

"Why did you come for me? You knew you couldn't win, yet you still came. WHY?" Ryker asked in despair.

Jordan raised his hand to his shirt pocket and pulled out an envelope. With shaking hands, he handed it to Ryker.

"I… took the job… so I could give… this to… you… I've always been on… your side… deliver this… to the Institute of War… this… was… the only way… I could get… you to… listen…stubborn bastard…hehe…" he laughed weakly before wet coughs racked his body.

"I smuggled this letter… out of camp… it contains… information… regarding… an… attack the… master… created… to subjugate… the… world… to his will… this… was the only… way… I could… get it to… you… and you are… the… only one… prepared… for this quest," he said, his breaths becoming shallow and erratic.

With effort he spoke words that Ryker would remember forever.

"When you deliver this… don't forget about us… Cabin 14… save them from… the master… promise me…"

With those last words and a ghost of a smile still etched upon his lips, Jordan's eyes closed for the last time and his breathing ceased. Ryker let out a roar of desolation and cradled Jordan's head against his own. His tears dripped down onto Jordan and dampened his already wet face. After holding his oldest friend for what seemed like hours, Ryker stood up and buckled his sword back on and carried his friend in his arms. Ryker walked for good distance before reaching a glade and laying his friend in it.

He grabbed Jordan's sword and laid it in his hands, blade facing towards his dead friend's face. With his hands, Ryker filled up the glade with dirt and smoothed the ground until it was more or less flat. He searched around and found a big stone from the forest; about the size of a headstone, and laid it in the traditional position for a burial. Then, he took out his sword and pointed it at the headstone. He chanted in an ancient language and words began carving into the stone.

A STONEMASON CAN BE FOUND IN A WORKSHOP

A COOK CAN BE FOUND IN A KITCHED

A SCHOLAR CAN BE FOUND IN A LIBRARY

BUT A FRIEND, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT CAN'T BE FOUND

THAT IS SOMETHING TO BE MADE

With his job finished, he picked up the envelope his former friend gave him and gave it a hard look. He stared back at the headstone and spoke the words that would begin his journey.

"I promise you, Jordan, on my life, and on my honor, I will deliver this letter for you and will not stop until I do. I will honor your memory and friendship that I did not deserve."

He then turned around, and began his long journey to the Institute of War.

* * *

The room looked like any other room, this being so for the privacy of the Elders' council. Elegant, thin doors made of mahogany sat on either side of the room. The walls were made of wood as well, using oak and fir to complement each other in a more natural feel. The contents of the room were mostly plain, save for the teak clock on the wall, made to be symmetrical, sophisticated, and smooth so to not provide a distraction. The middle of the room held five plump, green cushions. All of them were occupied as people were sitting on them, holding papers and leaving even more on the ground. Its simple design isn't to be mistaken for unprotected, for there were spells to keep it soundproof, damage resistant, and spy proof.

Karma sighed as she read the reports given to the council. The other Elders were trying to discover what happened to Xo Lan 2 weeks ago, but the reports from around the area were unreliable, most seeming to think the once lively city suddenly became an inferno of flames in the blink of an eye. Irelia sat to her right, her famed blades lacking their usual liveliness.

"Duchess Karma, I propose we send a team to the site to investigate further. We can't just rely on reports from peasants. We need concrete details," a male Elder said.

"Yes, I say we move to accept a notion to probe deeper into the disappearance of Xo Lan," agreed a female Elder to Karma's left.

"I agree, but can't we be a little more… discreet about this venture? The culprits might still be in the area and sending a large party to the area MIGHT attract attention, don't you think?" Karma asked.

"Yes… we could ask the Kinkou to assist us. They operate with discretion," the female Elder proposed.

A new voice entered the discussion.

"They care about the balance. If we ask them, they will most likely say no, because it wouldn't fit with their order. They don't accept common requests, only ones that will assist the balance. And besides," Irelia said, "The only ones I trust to do the job correctly are Shen, Akali, and Kennen, but they're at the Institute."

"That leaves us to send someone that sympathizes with Ionia itself, someone trustworthy, someone with combat skills if the enemy is still here," she said.

"What enemy? How can we in good sense send someone to a recently destroyed city without knowing who did it? It could be a massive force, or it could be a monster. We simply don't have the information to send someone to investigate," the fifth and final Elder argued.

The occupants of the capital city meeting room went silent at the voice of reason. The room was quiet for a few moments as they tried to think of a solution. Karma glanced at the clock lying on the wall. It showed 8:00 PM. She was surprised. It hadn't been that long since they'd started. Had it? They had been at the meeting since noon. She rose up and everyone turned their attention to her.

"I think we've been at this meeting for too long. We should continue this some other time. For all we know, this could have been an accident. Maybe a forest fire surrounded the town and didn't let anyone out. After all, there were burnt corpses. For now, I say we double the watch and remind city patrols throughout Ionia to stay extra vigilant. If we get word of a plotted attack, then we will take the necessary action. Does this meet the council's requirements?" she asked.

"Hmm… I suppose so… but to sit and wait while twiddling our thumbs…" the first Elder grumbled.

Other than him, the rest of the council agreed to Karma's proposal without protest. They each stood up and bowed, then left to their respective quarters. Karma walked out with Irelia and they strolled silently through the halls.

They had been friends since childhood, while admittedly different in many ways. Karma was always the more cool-headed, more apt to listening to reason. Irelia, on the other hand, was a tad impatient and didn't like the waiting game of snakes that was politics. Irelia was a master with her four detachable blades, using them in the famed Hiten style she learned at a young age. Unlike the Wuju style of Master Yi and Wukong, the Hiten style is a strict weapon style. Wuju style is a spiritual form of understanding, allowing many practitioners to study it. The Hiten style, on the other hand, is very specific. Irelia learned it from her brother, Zelos, and her father, Master Lito.

Karma was a more spiritual person and was taught the ways of benevolent magic from her elders at a young age. She had one of the strongest connections to the spirits and had powerful magic. The elders of her village implored the concept of peace to Karma and taught her that peace was always better than violence. When Noxus invaded, though, the elders' downfall came from their ways of peace. The elders were slaughtered. While Karma's village was ready to surrender, Karma used her magical powers offensively for the first time and repelled the Noxian invasion. She became a respected Ionian leader throughout the war and passed her "Distinction" to become an Elder.

Irelia had a similar story of defense, when she lifted her father's blade and repelled a Noxian invasion at the Placidium. She became Captain of the Guard for turning the tide of the battle, and was made an honorary council member for her defense of Ionia. Eventually, their similarities outweighed their differences and they became, and still are, great friends.

"Thank gods you ended that meeting. I felt as if I had been there for days," Irelia said thankfully with a light smile on her face. She was wearing a classic green Ionian kimono, different from what she usually wore. She also walked barefoot, as was her preference while in Ionia.

"You know why I ended it," Karma said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes, "It is unhealthy for us to be cooped up in a room for so long. That and we need sleep."

Irelia gazed at her friend with a knowing smirk, "That and you were bored."

"I am ashamed that you would suggest such a thing. It is our duty to the dead of Xo Lan to find out who destroyed their village," she scoffed.

"AH HAH! So you don't believe it was an accident!" Irelia said triumphantly.

Karma sighed and shook her head at her friend's outburst. "To be honest… no I don't believe it was an accident. A city just doesn't disappear suddenly from a 'fire' as they put it. That being said, I don't believe the citizens are lying, just misinterpreting the information."

Karma thought for a moment, before nodding as if agreeing with something in her head.

"Irelia, meet me tomorrow at the dock. We should go check the records of the Institute. Our vacation is almost over anyway. Might as well go spend our remaining time trying to discover any patterns with the damage done to Xo Lan than sitting and doing nothing."

Irelia nodded and went to her room.

"Goodnight, Karma," she said tiredly.

"Goodnight Irelia."

The next morning, Karma walked down to the port of the Ionian capital and found Irelia already sitting on a bench, beside the ship Karma had bought tickets for, eating a customary dish of _tang yuan,_ or sweet rice balls.

The ship itself was masterfully crafted. It was one of Ionia's first Hextech-powered cruises. It was lean to the point where it looked as though the water parted around it, rather than it parted the water. The aerodynamic design allowed it to reach speeds of around 40 knots per hour. It was one of the fastest ships and should have been a real price to pay for, but because the captain was generous, he allowed first time passengers to have a 50% discount.

Every other captain slammed their head into a pole for his idiocy.

"You didn't eat breakfast before you left?" Karma inquired.

"I did, but I thought to myself, 'This is going to be the last REAL Ionian food I'll have in a while' so I stopped by a café and ordered this to go."

Karma shook her head and sighed as well, but agreed with what Irelia was saying. Nothing was like Ionian food in her eyes.

"Come on, finish eating when we get on the ship" she ordered in a playful voice.

"Yes Mom," Irelia said, keeping a straight face.

Karma smacked her lightly as they entered the ship.

* * *

The ticket master sighed as he locked away the booth for what seemed like the last time before the ship left. _What a day so far… wait… what was that?_ He turned to his right as he squinted and saw a man racing towards him and shouting.

Ryker sprinted towards the dock, huffing as he raced towards the ship he bought a ticket for, the Ionian cruise ship, _Voyager_. The ship let out a loud blast, signaling its exit from the dock. The ticket master was bewildered as he saw a young man race towards him with a ticket in his hand.

"Sir-," the official tried to say before he was interrupted.

"Not enough time, gotta get on the ship!" Ryker said, slapping the ticket onto the pile and jumping over the gate and onto the railing. He pulled himself over and sank into a deck chair with relief, closing his eyes to rest.

 _Hmmph,_ the ticket master thought, _what is it with the young folk and their lack of propriety? No respect._

Earlier this morning.

 _Ryker awoke in his room wishing the sun would go away._

 _"Let me sleep, stupid sun…" he mumbled._

 _Wait… morning… something important was happening that he was supposed to remember. He thought for a minute before bolting up and grabbing his things. THE SHIP! I FORGOT ABOUT THE SHIP! FUCK! After he finished packing his things, he ran out of his room and down two flights of stairs before placing his key and money on the hotel desk. The attendant looked bemused as he asked, "Um, Sir? Does this mean you are checking out?"_

 _"Yes, not enough time, gotta make it to the ship!" he said hurriedly as he dashed out of the hotel and towards the dock. He encountered a problem right as he exited the building. Morning traffic. Ryker looked around to try and find an opening in the crowd of people walking to and fro. "There!" he said to himself, as he noticed a slight parting in the crowd. He rushed through it startling many people as he apologized profusely while running through. Dock, dock, dock, where is the dock, he thought distractedly as he lost sense of direction. Through the distance, he heard a faint fog horn, signaling the exit of a ship. Following his ears instead of his eyes, he sprinted blindly in the direction of the sound. Moments later, he burst through the crowd and found himself at the entrance of the dock. He saw the ticket master and shouted, "WAIT!" as he put on a burst of speed towards him._

Ryker opened his eyes and thought about what had transpired so far in the morning. _Well, at least that's over,_ he thought. Ryker walked up and went inside the ship.

He was surprised that there weren't many passengers on board. He understood that he had to go to Bandle City first, unless he wanted to traverse through the killing ground of Noxus, which he didn't, but he thought that there would be more people than on board, considering the discount. He took a quick headcount and counted 20 people. A few couples here, a few families there, some yordles, and two lone women sitting in the back, seemingly having a deep conversation. He walked up to the receptionist and asked for his room number. The receptionist took his ticket stub he tore off his ticket and told him that he would stay in Room 20. He thanked the receptionist and trudged off towards his room when he heard the receptionist behind him, "Oh and hon? Try to get here on time next time. Most captains don't appreciate passengers jumping onto the railing and climbing over it like a monkey."

"Oh… yeah, sorry about that…" he said, embarrassed. Everyone in the cabin was looking at him now. He quickly moved out of the main area and went to his room.

As the man clumsily shuffled away, Karma and Irelia both hid their smirks while trying to fathom what could make him late for an 11:00 AM departure.

"Oh, if the council could see us now," Irelia laughed.

"Shh, don't disrespect the council!" Karma scolded, but her smile ruined the impression.

"Besides, he reminds of someone who used to like running in the halls, laughing and barging into my room every day," she said pointedly.

Irelia blushed, looking away before saying, "I was never like that. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh really? What about the time when you sprang through my window and smashed into my lamp? Does that not count?"

"I already told you then, and I'll tell you now. I was practicing my Bladesurge and miscalculated the trajectory and conveniently landed in your room, and the lamp was in my way," she said, trying to regain her dignity.

"Anyways," she said, trying to deflect her friend's attention to another topic, "When was the last time you visited Bandle City? I haven't been there in years."

"Hmm? Oh, well I was there just last year on a diplomatic mission. But things change, so the Bandle City I saw could be different than the Bandle City of today."

"Well… that place IS kind of eccentric… I wonder if we'll see any of the yordle champions there, like Rumble, or Tristana," Irelia said thoughtfully. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man from earlier slinking back into the room, head down, seeming to try and hide his entrance from the passengers. Irelia turned to watch him as he sat down in a chair, not far from her and Karma.

Irelia turned to him and bluntly asked, "Why were you almost late?"

The man jumped in his seat a little as he was addressed unexpectedly.

"I kind of… slept in," he said bashfully, scratching the back of his head.

"Irelia, that is very rude of you!" Karma told Irelia.

"Hey, I'm not the only one that's curious, don't bother denying it!" she retorted.

"No, no, it's fine," the man said with a soft smile.

"We don't mean to intrude, and I apologize for my friend's actions. My name is Karma," she apologized as she held out her hand.

"No, really, it's fine Miss Karma. My name's Ryker," he said as he shook her hand. He turned towards Irelia. "So you must be Irelia? Pleasure to meet you," he said.

"Likewise Ryker," she said as she took his hand and shook it as well.

"So, if you two don't mind me asking, what leads two young ladies such as yourselves off towards Bandle City?" he asked.

Irelia looked at Karma before answering.

"Well, Karma wanted to go to the Institute to search over some records. Our vacation is almost over and we'd like to check them for some information," she explained, trying to hide the fact that they had a problem.

"Really? I'm headed there too!"

Karma entered the conversation.

"Really? What for? Are you going to become apply to become a champion?"

"A what now?"

Irelia and Karma stared at Ryker for a while.

"You're joking right?" Karma said.

"No… sorry, am I supposed to know what 'champions' are?" he asked.

Irelia leaned towards Karma, whispering, "You know, I don't think he's lying, because he doesn't even recognize us from the council."

Karma nodded once before saying out loud, "Well… really everyone knows about champions…"

"They're figures from all across Valoran that come to represent their nation, city, or country, and fight for them."

Ryker looked at her with a peculiar expression, "So it's a battle arena for people to kill others with absolutely no reason at all?"

"No no no," Karma shook her head saying, "The Institute provides a great service to us. It implements so-called 'matches' between champion to settle their disputes without having war. So individuals holding a grudge could fight, or whole city-states could fight for their right to land. We did that once and won back our Southern Provinces."

"The Institute's official name for the champions is the League of Legends. Before you get all tied up in the concept of fighting, let me tell you now that, yes champions do die, but they don't die permanently unless outside of the specified battle fields. They are the Howling Abyss, Twisted Treeline, and by far the most popular, the Summoner's Rift," Irelia put in helpfully.

"The Institute seems like it has a lot of influence. There is a saying that states that a good compromise leaves everyone unhappy. There probably are a lot of just factions… but what about the ones with malicious intent. What keeps them from overtaking the Institute and controlling it?" Ryker asked.

"Well, if a faction attacks the Institute, not only will most just nations defend it, but the summoners there use extremely powerful magic. They are the epitome of magical skill. They would be able to hold back any army with ease. I mean, if a simple spell from them prevents us from dying permanently if we are stabbed or beheaded, imagine what they could do with no restrictions," Karma explained.

"We?"

"Oh yes, Irelia and I are already champions in the League, representing Ionia."

"Wow. What is it like? Fighting there? How do they manage people who are too powerful? Like creatures from the Void?" he asked.

"Particularly hostile champions most likely have been captured and contained with heavy magic. At least powerful enough to contain Brand," she shuddered.

"They also restrict out powers on the Rift, so that everyone starts off basically equal in power. As the battle goes on, we gain more 'experience' allowing us to unlock other abilities," Irelia said.

"They can probably fill you in at the Institute about the specifics of it. But enough about us, tell us about yourself," she prodded.

Ryker thought for a moment, thinking about what he should divulge and what not to. For some reason, he seemed to trust these two ladies. He didn't know why, there was just an unmistakable feeling in him. The one thing he had learned in his escape was to trust his gut.

"I… was a former mercenary," he said at last, "I haven't found much work, but I sold a few things, so I'm not out of money, yet. I traveled the countryside wandering everywhere and having no real purpose, until I overheard a couple of travelers talking about the Institute and how it could help most anyone. I thought to myself then, that maybe that could help me find a meaning to my life." It wasn't a lie, really.

"Wow, I've always dreamed of walking around the country with no responsibilities and just enjoying the peace and calm of the outdoors," Karma said, seeming to be lost in thought.

"Say, you say you were a wanderer? Do you know of what happened to Xo Lan?" Irelia asked.

Ryker tensed, looking Irelia in the eye for just a second before replying, "No, why do you ask?"

"The city was destroyed just a few weeks ago and there hasn't been any shred of evidence to point at the culprit. Karma and I are both on the Council of Elders, so we have to do this for the dead of Xo Lan. Since you said you were a wanderer, I thought maybe you knew something about it."

Ryker relaxed a little bit, staring at the ground, while thinking about his master's decision to destroy the town, and the look on his face while he did it.

"No, I haven't heard anything about the city, but I wish I could be more help to you," he replied slowly.

"No worries, just seeing if anyone has heard anything at all," Irelia sighed, "I just hope we can find out who did this before the situation gets out of hand."

It was silent for a bit as the three of them turned over their thought.

"What about family? You've gotta come from somewhere right?" Irelia asked, curious.

Ryker saddened a little bit at the mentioning of his family.

"I'm was born in Ionia, but I never knew my family," he said quietly, "I was told that my parents left me at a young age and that I was lucky to be alive at all."

Irelia and Karma looked stricken as they watched Ryker sulk in his seat.

"I'm sorry, I never meant to intrude-," Irelia began.

"No, it's fine, it's just a little hard to talk about it. Besides, I need to get it out eventually in order to try to move on, right?" he tried for a smile, but it came out as a sort of grimace.

"Wow… I could never imagine not knowing my family…" Irelia said sadly, remembering her life before Captain of the Guard.

"My dad died from an unknown disease when I was 12. I loved him so much, because he was there for me and taught me about the Hiten style. I love my brother as well. His name is Zelos, and he went to Demacia for help in the war, but he hasn't returned yet. And when he does, I'll be there to slap him for making me wait years for him," she said in an attempt to cheer Ryker up.

Ryker smiled a little.

"I'm sorry about your dad, and I hope your brother comes back soon."

"I do too. Things are never the same without Zelos," she sighed.

Karma watched the two of them for a moment, before saying, "My parents weren't famous or anything like that. They were just regular townsfolk who tried to make an honest living. When I first showed that I had an aptitude for magic, my parents and I moved to a small village run by peaceful elders. The elders trained me in magic, but I was always free to visit my family. When the Noxians came, though, the elders were slain. I tried to get to my parents, but found their house burning, and two bodies on the ground. The Noxians killed my parents. I went to the Noxians and used my magic offensively for the first time and repelled their attack, but not before their damage was done."

"I'm sorry Karma, you are such a nice person, and to go through that, well… I couldn't imagine it," Ryker said consolingly.

"Thank you Ryker, and I see you are a nice person as well," she said with a smile.

"What about me?" Irelia asked.

And just like that, they were all laughing together and releasing the tension from their stories.

After a while, Ryker asked them, "How did you meet? You two seem thick as thieves."

Karma smiled as she remembered the fateful day.

 _Karma was strolling through the gardens, enjoying the light touch of the sun and the aromas of the flowers. She stopped to pick up a lotus and put it in her hair. "What a beautiful day," she said out loud to no one in particular._

 _As she walked out of the gardens, back to her room with the elders, she heard the ringing of blades in the trees. She followed the sound and saw two people sparring in the middle of the clearing._

" _Good—a little faster—yes, that's it—in order to master the Hiten style, one must be as quick as the blade that strikes," the man said to the girl._

" _Yes father. Am I improving?" the girl asked._

" _Yes Irelia, you are definitely improving from when we first began. You might even be able to out match me soon," the man said, ruffling the girl's hair. The girl squealed with delight and tried to break out of her father's embrace and they both fell backwards laughing._

" _Irelia, I'm going to go back to our house and help Zelos with his numbers. You know how he hates learning them. In the meantime, while you wait for me, why don't you go play with the girl over there behind the tree?" he said with a tiny smile._

 _Karma froze at her discovery._

" _Come out little one, don't be shy. We aren't going to bite, right Irzy?_

" _Don't call me that father! I'm too old for that now."_

 _The man chuckled as he replied, "You'll never be too old for me."_

 _Karma walked slowly to them as she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spy on you. Honestly! I was walking in the gardens, when I heard your blades ringing and decided to see what was happening. When I saw you two sparring, I kinda… stopped moving and watched you guys," she said bashfully._

" _Well, there's no harm done," the man said kindly, "I'm Master Lito, and this I my daughter Irelia. May I ask what is your name?"_

 _Karma put her hands behind her back and swiveled back and forth on one foot._

" _I—I'm Karma," she said lamely._

" _Well, Karma, I have to go, so do you think you can keep my daughter out of trouble?" he asked jokingly._

" _Hey!"_

" _I can try to, sir," Karma replied._

 _The man smiled at the use of 'sir'._

" _There's no need for formalities, just call me Lito, or Mister Lito if you like. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off. Have fun!" he said as he made his way back to the village._

 _Karma and Irelia looked at the ground, trying to think of what to say._

" _So… your name is Karma, like the bad and good karma?" she inquired._

" _Yes…" Karma said timidly._

 _They stayed silent for a minute as they ran out of things to say._

" _I see you sometimes walking through the gardens," Irelia admitted, "I've never been there before. For me it's mostly work, work, work, training, training, training."_

 _Karma looked at the other girl, apparently thinking hard over something._

" _Umm… I can take you sometime if you want…" Karma offered._

" _Really? Are you serious? That would be great! Can we go now?" Irelia asked excitedly._

" _Sure," Karma said, a bit confused at the other girl's exuberance._

" _Let's go!" Irelia exclaimed, grabbing Karma's hand and dragging her behind her._

" _Wait!" Karma said._

" _Here," she said, giving the lotus she had in her hair to Irelia._

" _It's so pretty," Irelia said in awe. Karma helped Irelia put it in her hair and then Irelia jumped up and gave Karma a huge hug._

" _Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she profusely thanked. Karma wanted to reply but couldn't get a breath in to do so._

 _After what seemed like forever, Irelia released Karma and apologized for almost squeezing her to death. They both started laughing and from then on, built up a great friendship with each other through good times and bad._

"So you see, we became great friends and still are today," Karma finished.

Ryker stared at them for a moment, then began chuckling a bit.

"What's so funny?" Irelia asked, confused.

"Oh, nothing, I just find it funny, that Ionia's own Captain of the Guard, savior of Ionia, would be awestruck by a flower," he joked.

Irelia seethed. "Watch it," she said warningly.

Suddenly, an announcement was made from the overhead speaker.

"Attention passengers, please be advised that we are now passing the pirate nation of Bilgewater. Please stay inside the ship for your own safety."

"…Oh…"

"Don't worry Ryker. Those pirates never really want to waste the time to after one small ship. They usually seek bigger ships, with loads of cargo," Karma assured him quickly.

"I knew that, but I wasn't expecting us to get there so quickly…"

"This is the fastest ship in Ionia, if any ship could get us to a place with speed, then it's this one" Irelia said with pride, her earlier embarrassment seemingly forgotten.

With that said, the three Ionians sat and watched the waves glide past the ship, the waves not interfering with their progress. In the distance, they could see the island of Bilgewater and the Flaming Islands. The water glimmered in the late sun's light. The water flowed past, as did a school of fish, jumping through the air before landing with a splash, like a grasshopper on water. Their shimmering scales looked beautiful in the orange light of the sun. They seemed to be flawless in every way, carefree, full of energy, and most of all, they were a family.

Ryker sighed. He hadn't had a family. The closest thing he had ever known to a family was Cabin 14. There was Mika, who was an excited girl, Jason, who was stoic and silent, and countless others with whom he'd made friends with. It seemed kind of ironic that even fish seemed to have more of a family than he did. He could always count on Jordan to lighten his spirits in the past when he thought about his family.

But with Jordan gone… he didn't know what to do. He was always the one with a plan, if not the best fighter.

Ryker fingered the letter in a hidden compartment in his jacket. He remembered the vow he'd made over Jordan's grave, and he intended to make good on that promise.

He stood up and told the two ladies, "Have a good evening, I'm a bit tired and want a little rest. It was a pleasure meeting you two."

The two women responded with a smile and said, "Likewise."

And just like that, Ryker felt as if he had made new friends all over again.

* * *

Back on Ionia, a solitary man sat alone in his giant of a tent, with a fire roaring inside and a cotton cot adorned with the best blankets and feather pillows. The desk in the corner was cluttered with papers and other mish-mash strewn about. Next to it, lied two swords in a cross, each one overlapping the other. Outside, the bustling of others gave the place a nice, friendly sort of air.

The man looked up and smiled, a fierce, cold thing it was.

"So, Jordan is dead and Ryker is alive."

The man stood up, taking something out of his pocket.

"Keep on running little boy, I've always loved it when you tried to outrun me."

His hands glowed with a dark and powerful energy. In one hand, he held a tiny wooden box that Ryker left behind. It held nothing, but it was the one thing Ryker chose, the one thing all new members were allowed to keep from where they were from.

The hand that held the box suddenly clenched, and the box exploded, scattering into tiny purple sparks from the force of the man's focused power.

"Keep on running, for I will be waiting for you at the end. I will ALWAYS be there."

With that, the man went to his desk and started formulating his next plan.

* * *

 **So this chapter is finished... took longer than I thought. Around 4 days to complete this, 2 hours each day. It's over 7,600 words and I'm reasonably happy about that.**

 **I will start working on the next chapter on Sunday.**

 **Thanks again!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Notes:**

 **Hey guys, sorry for uploading so late, I got sidetracked with multiple projects from school. Not making excuses, just explaining.**

 **Anyways, hope you guys enjoy the chapter!**

 **Note: I don't own Riot, or League of Legends, or its characters, but I own my OCs.**

 **UPDATE 9/18/16: I DID IT! I ADDED THE LINE BREAKS! LMAO, I just noticed that xD. Sorry about that.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

The sun had barely peeked from the horizon when things started to go wrong.

It was 5:30 in the morning when Ryker woke up to a resounding _boom!_ _What the hell,_ he thought confusedly _, what was that?_ Another _boom_ rocked the ship.

A frantic voice came on the PA, "Alert! We are under attack from an unknown vessel! I repeat, we are under attack from an unknown vessel! Brace for— "the voice was cut off by another blast.

Ryker bolted up from his bed and stared out of his window. Staring right back at him was the barrel of a portside cannon. _HOLY SHIT!_ he thought as he jumped out of the way of the cannon. He heard the blast of the cannon as a cannonball ripped through his room and obliterated his door.

Ryker went into a kneeling position and summoned his sword. It was something he learned from all his time spent with the sword. He had a sort of psychic connection to the weapon. It wasn't a thing he could grasp, not like in a spiritual kind of way. It was more like a sixth sense, something in the back of his mind, there, but not distracting.

After a few seconds, his sword appeared in his hand. He went on his knees, sword still in hand, and crawled through what was left of his doorway. The hallway was complete chaos, with contents of rooms blown into the wide open space. Water was leaking from both the holes in the ship, and the broken water lines built in.

He couldn't see anyone in the hall, so he checked the rooms around his. There wasn't any sign of anyone in the left room, but in the right, much to his anger, were two corpses of a husband and wife, blown apart from a cannon blast. _What right, did the ones who are responsible for this, have to take the lives of the innocent?_ he thought angrily. He walked out of the room, heading to the stairway, intending to go upstairs. The barrage of cannon shells had stopped finally. He carefully made his way up the miraculously intact stairs, keeping quiet to prevent himself from being heard.

 _I hope those two ladies are ok,_ he thought worriedly, _I mean, they're champions, but… I don't think they're ability to come back to life extends off the battlefield. And who knows what were up against… could be regular pirates… or maybe the master found me…_ he shivered at the thought.

As he neared the top, he heard rough voices on deck. He kneeled low and crouch-walked to the top. He saw a plank of wood just before the exit of the stairs and stayed behind it.

"Argh… you said that this ship would be filled with good pickings, not just people!" a deep voice said.

"Shut your mouth, you stupid ass. Just look around some more, and we'll find something for sure!" another pirate said.

"And the rest of you! Go find some people we can use as hostages! They will fetch a pretty price!" he laughed. The rest of the pirates went different directions and left the two leaders on the deck.

"What do we need more hostages for? We already have the Duchess and Captain of the Guard. They will make us rich. I will admit, the knockout gas was a nice touch, but I think we should leave with them, and not risk being caught out here," the first pirate argued.

Ryker tensed, his friends' safety the only thing on his mind. _At least they didn't check my corridor yet. I probably would have been captured as well._ His grip intensified from the stress of the situation. He was about to rise and strike, when the second pirate spoke.

"Who's going to find us? No one wants to go near Bilgewater, and I doubt anyone who finds us are prepared to fight us. Besides, we are already going to die if we get caught, what's a tiny bit more risk going to do? The rewards outweigh the risks! Think about it! The riches we can get with all the hostages! We could do anything!" the first pirate exclaimed.

Ryker had heard enough. He jumped up from his hiding spot and charged the two pirates. They both yelled in surprise and tried to draw their cutlasses, but were too slow, as Ryker sliced off the hand of the first pirate. He pivoted around and roundhouse kicked the second one in the ribs, breaking a few of them before the pirate went flying into a wall, slumping to the ground, unconscious.

Ryker grabbed the first pirate by his ragged shirt and shoved him into a wall.

"Where are they? The two you were speaking of?" Ryker asked furiously.

"My hand… you cut off my hand…" the pirate sobbed.

"WHERE!" Ryker roared.

"Ok, ok… we put them into our ship's brig… just don't kill me, please," the pirate begged.

Ryker looked at him in disgust before dragging him and throwing him down the stairs, his body slamming down each step before reaching a plateau and ending up in an awkward position. Ryker walked to the second pirate to see if he was still unconscious.

As he walked over, the pirates' crew came back up, having heard the commotion.

"Oi! What'd you do to our capt'ns? Who do you think you are?"

The other pirates snarled in agreement. Ryker just glared at them with an intensity that could have fought them by itself. He counted 11 pirates in total. _That's all they have?_ he thought with a smirk.

"Get him!"

"YARGHHH!"

They all charged him at the same time in an unorganized assault. Ryker dodged the first strike, grabbing the man's arm and breaking it with his shoulder. He used his sword to block a second strike, tilting his blade slightly to causing the other weapon to slip into a third one.

All thoughts were driven out of his head as he was enveloped into the flow of battle, flipping the first man over into the crowd of pirates, hitting three of them, leaving six standing. They slowly circled around him in an attempt to attack him on all sides. Ryker just stood there, letting them form their circle. He suddenly dashed forward and stabbed the pirate directly in front of him, pushing him forward to break the formation. He pulled the sword out and crouched into a spin, slashing backwards, slicing through three pirate's legs and forcing the other three backwards. Not needing to worry about the pirates on the floor getting up any time soon, he focused his attention to the ones still standing. They had an angry look in their eyes as they held their swords in a defensive position.

Ryker switched his grip to two hands and leapt to the one on the far left, beheading him before the other two could even move. He spun around and engaged the last two, forcing them backwards, even with the disadvantage of one versus two.

He continued to press them backwards, his strength outmatching the two pirates combined. The pirates were so focused on him; they didn't notice the rapidly approaching edge of the ship. Nearing the edge, Ryker lessened his force. The two pirates, thinking he was tiring, switched to an offensive footing. Using their less balanced footing, he surged forward with seemingly restored strength and pushed them off the ship. They fell, screaming, before hitting the water with a mighty splash.

Ryker looked over the edge to make sure they weren't coming back before releasing his sword, disappearing from sight back to where it was called from. He turned his head to the other side of the _Voyager_. The ship latched onto it was a feat of engineering, using no sails and only having two boosters to thrust it forward. It was roughly the same size as the _Voyager,_ allowing it to catch up to their ship, with their advanced thrusters. It was oddly shaped, like an egg in the water. There was an entrance at the very center, far enough away where a jump would really hurt, if it wasn't for the large net of rope, attached with hooks, traversing the entirety of the distance between both ships. Ryker breathed in deeply before drawing two knives from the inside of his boots before jumping to the ship below.

* * *

Irelia woke up, dizzy for an inexplicable reason. _Whaa… where am I? Why am I shackled to a wall? Why is Karma with me?_

She looked at her friend with worry, wondering whether she was ok.

"Karma… Karma please wake up," she pleaded with increasing worry.

Her friend slowly raised her head.

"Irelia? What are you doing here? Wait… Where are we?" she asked in panic.

Irelia shook her head, "I don't know… I don't remember anything after I went to sleep."

Karma said nothing and looked around as she digested this unpleasant information. The bars were rusting slightly, but still firm. She couldn't see anything to her side because of the wooden walls to either side. In front of the cell was a cell of the same size, but empty. Karma turned her to the right slightly and saw something in the far right corner of the holding cell. It was an etching of two dragons intertwined and the words "Taking our share" below them.

She groaned and closed her eyes as realization settled in.

"What is it Karma?" Irelia asked a bit quickly.

"Do you see that insignia over in the far right corner?" she pointed.

Irelia looked to where Karma mentioned. She stared at it for a few seconds before groaning as well.

"The Dragon Brothers… great… just great…" she said with disgust.

"I forgot about them and their pirating spree," Karma said with contempt.

The Dragon Brothers were an elite pirate band that have preyed on ships for hundreds of years, each generation taking up the banner and keeping the terror alive. They had started as normal, run of the mill privateers, before taking advantage of their government sponsorship and abandoning their contracts with a stolen ship and goods. Ever since then, they had attacked any ship with ease, and had become even richer with their hostage trade. No one ever saw them coming, and they always disappeared without a trace. There was never a pattern with them, attacking ships at seemingly random intervals. The only thing each attack had in common, was a total disregard for their own lives, making them far more dangerous than most pirates. Another annoying thing about them was their magic resistant cells.

The Council of Elders had tried to crack down on the renegade pirates, but could never predict where they would strike next, and any ships they sent to track them down never returned.

"Irelia, can you move at all?" Karma asked without hope.

"No… the bonds are too tight..." she said, barely controlling her anger. She seemed furious for some reason.

"Irelia?" Karma asked worriedly.

"What?" she snapped back.

Karma recoiled inwardly at the hostility in her friend's voice.

"Did I say something to make you angry?" she asked quietly.

Irelia's angry posture turned slightly apologetic. She turned away from her friend slightly.

"I'm sorry Karma, I didn't mean to snap at you, I'm just mad at myself for letting us get captured," she explained bitterly.

"Irelia, don't beat yourself up over it, I didn't do anything either. We were just caught unawares," Karma offered consolingly.

Irelia was about to reply when the door slammed open. Irelia and Karma both pretended to still be unconscious. They heard multiple pairs of footsteps walking towards them.

"Yeah, they're still out. The knockout gas really worked well, didn't it?" a gruff voice said.

"Yeah, it did. Well, I'm here cuz it's my turn to guard them now," a second, lighter voice explained.

"Ok, but there's not much to guard," the first man chortled.

"True, true…" the second man chuckled lightly.

"Hey, speaking of guard… where are the rest of the boys? They should be back by now. There can't be that many more people left on the boat. Most that are left are dead, or going to be dead."

They both laughed for bit at their success. Irelia stiffened a bit at this. Karma could feel this and nudged her with her shoulder. Irelia reluctantly relaxed, still angry at their light tone used to describe death.

"Well, while we wait, wanna get a drink to make the time go by?" the first pirate asked.

"Hehe, you always have the best ideas Rick! I'll get some from the special stores. Come, come, I don't know what you like!" the second one said.

"All right… but we gotta be quick. Don't want the captain catching us," Rick warned.

"No worries, no worries," the unnamed pirate said breezily.

Karma and Irelia heard their footsteps grow lighter as they walked away. They heard the door slam shut as the pirates left.

They both slumped a little as they learned of their ship's occupant's fate.

"Those poor people… so cruel that their lives had to end this way," Karma whispered.

"I hope Ryker is all right, he seemed like a decent guy," Irelia said sadly.

"He might have made it out, since he was a mercenary, but as for the rest of the people on board…" Karma said, not needing to finish the sentence.

She thought about how Ryker had seemed to have nothing going for him, with not knowing his parents, to scouring the countryside in search for work but finding nothing. _And now this,_ she thought sadly _, ignoring her own troubles. He might not even have lived. Even if he escaped the pirates, where would he go? He couldn't swim thousands of miles to land, no human could._ She had thought that maybe, just maybe, she and Irelia could branch out and create new friends. Not that Irelia wasn't good enough, just that it was kind of depressing when she only had her and Lee Sin as friends.

A sudden commotion outside their door broke her train of thoughts. She thought she heard a few shouts, as well as clashing steel. She looked towards Irelia, her brow arched in confusion. Irelia, just as confused as she was, just shrugged.

The door slammed open, the two former pirates flying across the room and hitting the back wall before falling to the ground. There, in the doorway, holding a pair of knives, was Ryker. He had a look on his face that could have melted steel.

Irelia and Karma simultaneously widened their eyes in shock.

"Ryker?" Irelia asked in bewilderment.

Ryker turned his fierce gaze to them, slowly morphing into one of relief and worry.

"Are you guys all right?" he asked, racing towards their cell.

"I believe we are now," Karma said with a smile. Her mind was racing with questions, but she would hold them until they were out of the water, so to speak.

Ryker masterfully slid his knives back into two secret compartments in his boots, and drew a sword, seemingly from out of nowhere. He swung his sword horizontally three times, once across the middle, one to the top, and one to the bottom. The bars collapsed from the lack of support. Then he released his sword, which seemed to dissipate into thin air, and drew his two knives again. His knives cut through their shackles like a knife through butter. The two stood up, rubbing the aches acquired from their prolonged stationary position in their wrists and shoulders away. Ryker handed Irelia her blades back.

"How did you— "Irelia began before being interrupted.

"I will tell you guys everything later, but we have to get out of here! The cannons from this ship hit the fuel tanks on the _Voyager_. It's going to blow soon! Follow me!" he spoke in a hurry.

The two of them nodded and ran with him, going down a long corridor before stopping at a door marked with **EMERGENCY ONLY**. Ryker tried to open the door but it was locked.

"Shit!" he sword before kicking the door open. He raced into it, the two women following closely behind.

Sitting on a launch pad was a yellow, motor powered raft. It was moderately spacious, allowing for 8 people. It had enough provisions for a month long voyage at sea. Ryker helped the women into the raft, lowering them onto the seats. The women strapped on their belts as Ryker climbed into the raft. He was about to strap his belt on, when he froze. He started frantically searching his pockets for something.

"Ryker, what are you looking for?" Karma asked worriedly, turning up from her spell to dull Irelia's blade.

"Something very important," he answered vaguely before giving up his search and jumping out of the raft.

"Wait! Where are you going? You said the _Voyager_ is about to blow!" Irelia said.

"I have to go back and get it, it's very important to me, something I can't live without! Listen, I'll start the launch and get you guys out of here. Wait for me at a safe distance and I will swim to you when I have it," he proposed.

"And if you don't come out?" Irelia said despairingly.

Ryker was silent for a moment.

"If I don't come back in an hour, leave here and find land. I know you don't like this any more than I do, but this is something I have to do, for my honor," he explained softly.

"Just come out, all right?" Karma said quietly.

Ryker gave her a small smile.

"I don't intend to die today." With that, he pressed the launch button and immediately, the raft shot into the sea. He stared at the opening to make sure the two ladies were following his directions. When he saw they were, he rushed upwards to the top of the ship. He reached the top and saw the _Voyager_ in flames. _Not much time,_ he thought grimly as he raced towards the _Voyager._ He climbed the net as fast as he could and reached the deck with haste. He raced back towards his room, jumping over debris and skirting around flames. He took the stairs two steps at a time, ignoring the still prone pirate at the bottom. The hallway was half filled with water as he raced towards his room. Ryker jumped through the opening into his room.

His jacket was on his bed, right where he left it. Luckily, the jacket was waterproof, or the letter would have been soaked from the leaks. He grabbed the jacket and rushed out of his room, putting it on to keep it secure. He went back up the stairs and tried to make it to the top before a deep rumble within the ship itself knocked him to the ground. His head slammed into the steps, making him flit on the edge of consciousness.

 _So this is how I end,_ he thought with a dark chuckle, _I wish I had an opportunity thank Irelia and Karma for making my last days in life worth living._ With that, he closed his eyes and sank into the darkness.

* * *

Irelia and Karma sat in the raft, a safe distance from the two ships. They waited anxiously for Ryker to emerge from the ship, unharmed. It had been 15 minutes since he left them for the ship.

Suddenly, they heard a rumble from the _Voyager_. A huge explosion ripped the back half of the ship off. The two Ionians watched in horror as both ships crashed into each other. Their collision intertwined their innards and locked them in place. They slowly tore each other apart, and in a few moments, only a fraction of the ships' former size remained.

Karma and Irelia stared at the spot where the once mighty ships had been. Then, Irelia started to tear up and sob into her hands. Karma unbuckled her belt and leaned to give Irelia a reassuring hug. She tried to keep her tears back, but failed. Irelia cried into her shoulders while returning the hug.

"Why did he have to go back?" Irelia sobbed into her shoulder.

"I don't know Irelia, but he went back for something he believed in. That's more than most people can say," Karma said sadly.

"We didn't even get to thank him for saving us," Irelia said, her grief palpable in her voice.

"Yes… and that's something we'll both regret for years to come," Karma said, guilt rising up in her.

"But we're not going to honor him by sitting here and dying. He saved us and we should respect him by living out the rest of our lives," she continued.

Irelia nodded once and sat beside the motor, yanking the cord to start it. After the motor was turned on, Karma got out a map in a compartment in the raft. By calculating the time elapsed from start until now, she had a rough estimate of where they were. She pulled out a compass and spun until the hand pointed southwest. She told Irelia to move in that direction and Irelia complied without a word, still thinking about their friend. (LINE BREAK!)

Irelia looked around to try to spot anything resembling land. She sighed. She and Karma had been traveling for hours with no sign of land. She wondered what had been so important for Ryker to go back into the dangerous ship. She couldn't think of anything, except for maybe a personal item. She had come to accept his presence over the course of a single day, and felt his absence deeply.

She looked over at Karma. Karma was curled up on the floor of the raft in a fitful sleep. Irelia had told Karma to get some sleep for the journey ahead. Karma had adamantly refused, but after a couple of hours, the weariness from the events earlier that day had taken their toll. The late evening sun gave her a peaceful look.

Their capture had reminded Irelia of how vulnerable she really was. Fighting at the Institute had given her a false sense of security. After all, wasn't she granted immunity for being a champion? She had forgotten that the rules don't apply to everyone. It wasn't a mistake she was going to make again.

In the distance, she saw a dim light, waxing and waning like a ship light. She shook Karma awake and pointed it out. She asked Karma if they should go for it. Karma agreed to head towards it. As they neared the light, they made out the form of a ship, a small, fishing vessel. Their hearts lifted as the approached the ship. By then, the light had caught them and followed their movements.

The raft moved next to the ship.

"Hello? Is there someone aboard?" Karma called out.

For a minute, there was only silence.

Then, a small light voice called out, "HEY! Karma? Irelia? Aww man! I never thought I'd see you guys out here!"

A head with a mess of silver hair peeked out from over the railing.

"Tristana?" Irelia and Karma called in surprise.

"Hey guys! Let me lower the winch. I'll pull you guys up," Tristana called to them before leaving the railing. A large crane rotated to them and dropped two hooks. Karma grabbed them and attached them to either side of the raft.

Tristana slowly lifted the raft into the air and shifted the crane to the right. She set the raft down gently in the center of the boat, though it was a tight fit. After it she set it down, Tristana jumped out of the control seat and rushed towards the two tall women. She grabbed both of their hands and shook them simultaneously.

"Hi guys! How are you doing?" the yordle asked.

"We've been better," Karma answered in a depressed tone.

The yordle noticed this and some of her cheer went out of her body.

"What happened?"

"We were on a cruise ship on its way to Bandle City, actually, when we were attacked by the Dragon Brothers," Irelia explained.

Tristana looked surprised at this before promptly grabbing their hands again and dragging them to a couple of straight-backed chairs. She told them to sit, while grabbing a stool of her own.

"The Dragon Brothers… how did you escape?" she asked solemnly.

"Last I heard, almost no one escapes them."

Irelia sighed and recounted their tale. She started with the very beginning, when she and Karma boarded the ship, to when Ryker made his interesting last-minute boarding. She talked about their conversations and how Ryker had seemed very humble when they had met him. Then she went into the part where they had woken up in a cell, hands bound and no way out. Tristana paid very close attention, asking no questions. She explained in detail about the way Ryker had found them on the cell and freed them from their bindings and led them to the raft. When she got to the part explaining how Ryker went back to the ship, she choked up a little at the thought. She cleared her head and finished with them watching the ship as it exploded and smashed the other ship and sank.

Irelia wiped a few tears away from her eyes, keeping her head low. Tristana got up from her seat and went to hug Irelia and Karma. Though she couldn't reach around both of them, the hug warmed their hearts. This was one of the things they liked about Tristana, she didn't waste time asking things like "are you okay" or "are you hurt". She always did things that helped more than words.

"I'm so sorry about your friend. I would have liked to meet him," Tristana apologized.

"I'm sure he would have liked to meet you too," Karma said, smiling for the first time in what seemed like days. Karma's stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten in a while. Tristana noticed this and told them to wait there.

After 10 minutes, she came back with a tray of sandwiches, and a two glasses of orange juice. She set the tray on a rack on the wall in between Karma and Irelia. She told them to eat while she radioed in to Drummond Station to confirm her return.

No words were spoken as they ate their fill. The sandwiches were simple; smoked salmon, lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise on two pieces of rye, but it was filling none the less. Before long, the tray was empty of sandwiches and the two ladies sat back, drinking their orange juice.

Karma looked at Irelia, wanting to speak up, but feeling awkward. After a little bit, she steeled herself and said, "How do we go on from here?"

Irelia looked at Karma and said, "We do what we came to do. Read the records and look for patterns."

Karma nodded once before, "Somehow, this doesn't feel right. Just moving on."

Irelia sank down into her seat, "I know… but dwelling on it for too long is bound to have negative consequences. Besides, he wouldn't want us to sit and sulk while innocent lives are in danger. Remember the look he gave us when first you mentioned the League, without explaining the details?"

"You're right Irelia, it won't be easy, but we have to move on from this." They both nodded as Tristana returned from the radio room.

"All right guys, I set the ship on auto-pilot and set course to Port Drummond. You did want to go to Bandle City right?" Tristana asked them, returning from the controls. Karma nodded.

"So how are things in Bandle City right now?" she inquired.

"Well, things aren't so good right now. Groups of bandits have plagued the roads leading to the city, making less people want to leave or visit," the gunner explained, her ears drooping a little.

"Aren't your authorities doing anything? Have they got anyone?" Irelia asked, her interest piqued.

"They're trying, but as soon as they capture them, more take their place, it's like they're poros or something. Teemo's been trying to lead the scouts to find out where they're coming from, but without success," Tristana said.

"Are they men?" Karma asked, leaning forward in her seat.

"Yep. Weird ones at that. They seem to be more organized than a rabble of bandits, and are far more coordinated in their strikes than just a single group. An attack happens, and when we investigate that area, another is attacked, making us run all around trying to catch them. Another thing too, recently a small farming community near Bandle City was destroyed, seemingly in an instant,"

Karma and Irelia looked shocked at this revelation. It was strikingly similar to the story of Xo Lan.

"Tristana, we were heading to the Institute to search their records. Just a little over two weeks ago, a city of Ionia called Xo Lan was destroyed in a similar fashion to the yordle city. Seeming to disappear in the blink of an eye, right?" Irelia asked.

"You're right, that does sound familiar. Do you think it could be the work of a major organization?" the yordle theorized.

"It could be, and that's why we want to check the records. There could be some information regarding any major terrorist groups or old political parties that could have been responsible." Karma explained.

"Would you like to join us?" Irelia offered to Tristana.

"Of course I would! I want to help find these stupid brats. They're terrorizing my home town and I won't stop 'til I find them!" she exclaimed.

"Anyways, we all have to go back soon to resume our old schedules with the League anyway. So there isn't any harm in coming along with you guys."

"All right… but are there any safe roads we can take to the Institute?" Karma asked.

Tristana thought for a moment.

"Well, there is the path through the Voodoo Lands, but that's a dangerous road to take. It hasn't been explored since the last scout party we sent there disappeared without a trace," she said, turning away from the two ladies.

Irelia laid her arms across her legs, pondering this for a moment. Very little had been documented about the Voodoo lands, except for the dry, bare land and the sinister air that had kept explorers away for centuries. There had been reports of an unspeakable evil plaguing those lands. A demon, black as night, tall as buildings, with magical powers stronger than the most powerful mage. Irelia didn't believe in these rumors, of course. Hot-headed as she might be, she could be logical when she wanted to.

Irelia glanced at Karma, who was mirroring her posture. Karma glanced back and nodded, a clear sign to take the path.

"We'll risk it, but we would never force you to go with us Tristana, so if you could tell us the way, we will go there once we reach Bandle City," she said, raising her arms up and stretching, tired from the day's events.

Tristana pretended to be thinking, eyes to the sky and hands on her chin, before, "Hmm, No," she said quite cheerfully.

"Excuse me?" Irelia paused, uncertain of what she just heard.

"I said no, I won't tell you, unless you let me go with you!" she said in her cheery manner. Irelia just stared at her, nonplussed. Karma took over speaking for Irelia.

"Um, not to be rude, but may I ask why?" Karma questioned.

"Simple! I want to do something in the world! Something important! This trip will allow me to map uncharted territory, not to mention I need to go to the Institute as well," Tristana stated matter-of-factly.

Karma and Irelia just stared at her before Irelia gave a little cough, "The more the merrier?" It sounded more like a question then a statement.

"So it's settled then? YAY! You guys are staying with me tonight!" Tristana excitedly said, with no room for argument. She jumped off her seat and hugged the two Ionians once again. After a minute, she let go, still smiling. She turned toward the window and jumped in surprise.

"Hey! We're closing in on Bandle City! That was faster than I expected," Tristana said delightfully. Irelia and Karma looked out the window to see a smaller scale city coming closer with each second. The architecture was surprisingly comparable to a regular sized community. The buildings were tall, to make the yordles seem bigger than they really were. Fire pits ringed the city, smoking ham, turkey, and other meats. The smell wafted over to the boat and rekindled their hunger. All three of them sighed, as the smell of smoked meat permeated the air.

The boat pulled into the harbor and Tristana jumped out of the boat and dragged a huge net of fish behind her, easily dwarfing the small yordle. She dropped it at the fish and game, turning around and motioning for them to come off the ship. She led them towards the harbor master and gave him her rental ticket.

"Ahh, back again, Miss Tristana?" the other yordle asked.

"Yep, you got that right Yenko. Oh, and I'm not going to be using this boat for a while, so don't bother holding it for me," Tristana said.

"As you wish."

Tristana flipped him a coin and led the two ladies through the winding dirt roads of Bandle City. Karma and Irelia lost in the maze of pathways leading everywhere. Without Tristana, they wouldn't have been able to make it out of the city. For Tristana, though, the city was something easily traversable, if one knew the layout of it. She made a sudden left, into a neighborhood with a couple of streetlights to brighten the darkness of night. She walked up to a modest house, brown and single-floored.

"Welcome to my home in Bandle City," she presented with a flourish of her hands.

"I know it isn't much, but it suits my needs, and will serve yours too."

"Oh, this is a nice house Tristana, how long have you had it?" inquired Karma.

The yordle thought about this for a moment, "Like… 10 years give or take."

"Wow, a really long time then."

"Yep. I saw it here, standing in the light, and thought, _I've got to have this,_ and bought it instantly," she remembered fondly. She took out a key and opened the door, the inside of her house still dark. She flipped a switch and a small lamp lit up, bathing the room in a meager light. A small dining table was directly in front of them, a kitchen to its left. There were some feather couches and seats, as well as a bathroom in the far right of the room. Bookshelves lined the walls, unorganized, but oddly comforting. Tristana led them to the guest room and ushered them inside. A couple of beds sat side by side, each with a tiny lamp and drawer. It was small, but cozy.

"So here is where you guys get to sleep. I got the large beds just for an occasion like this. Do you guys want anything else? I can get extra blankets or pillows," Tristana offered.

"No, I think we'll be fine," Karma said, smiling, turning to inspect the room.

Irelia dropped her blades in the corner and plopped herself down onto the bed to the left, stretching out and yawning. Karma and Tristana smiled at her tiredness.

"Well, get some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow," Tristana called back as she left the room for her own bed. Karma went and closed the door, leaving the two Ionians alone. She sat down on her bed, sliding her legs over onto the mattress. She pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and turned towards Irelia.

"I'm glad that we have Tristana as a friend," she said, propping herself up a pillow.

"So am I, and I'm glad we're friends as well. Being captured today really shook me to the core, you know? I kept wondering what would life be like if I couldn't save you. I don't have that many friends, and losing Ryker today, well, made me think about how nothing is certain," she said, grimacing a little at her thoughts.

"Yeah, I know what you're feeling," Karma said heavily as she laid down and stared at the ceiling.

"We have been through a lot together and I don't think I would know what to do if I didn't have you watching my back."

"Well, I guess that means we're a great team then," Irelia chuckled lightly.

"Indeed we are," Karma said smiling.

"Good night Karma."

"Good night Irelia."

With that, Karma reached over and turned off the light on her stand, plunging them into darkness and the peace of sleep.

* * *

Ryker felt himself wash up against a shore. The waves pushed against him, urging him upward onto the sandy beach. _So this is the afterlife? Huh. I always thought it would be… less exotic._

He pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, his jacket, shirt and pants torn in many places. His boots were gone from the explosion, leaving him with nothing to walk in. _I'm not dead..._ He should have felt elated, but it was kind of hard to do so when he felt like he had been hit by a bull and stomped on for good measure.

Ryker slowly rose up on one foot, then both feet. He felt sore everywhere. With no idea where he was, he decided to walk along the coastline to try and find a city or someplace with people. He trudged up the coast for hours, dragging himself across, until he spotted smoke rising, as well as the makings of a huge city. Relieved, he started limping towards it until he saw the emblem on the city gates. A huge, black axe-like crest rose above the gate, on a flag with a red background. _Noxus,_ he thought despairingly, _great, just what I needed._ With no other choice he marched up to the city gates and walked through.

The city itself was laid in a strategically sound style. The city was geometrically similar, with roads leading to most everything with ease. Guard stations were situated every quarter mile, allowing for quick response to almost any threat. In the center, stood the Great Hall, a meeting place of Noxus' highest officials, including General Swain. As he walked through the busy streets of Noxus, he tried not to notice the sneers and looks of contempt he was given as he limped along, trying to find a hospital. Ryker looked at the ground, trying to be as conspicuous as possible, when a firm hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in Noxus?" a rough voice asked.

Ryker turned around and looked at the man. He had a light bluish silvery cloak on and dark brown pants. He tried to think of a response. He could tell the truth, but he didn't know how believable it would be.

"Um… I'm just a lowly beggar, sir," Ryker tried, lowering his head.

"I know everything that goes on in this city, and I've never seen you here before," he accused. The man slowly lifted his hands to his sheathed daggers.

"Hold up, hold up! I'm not here to hurt anyone or anything," he said shakily.

"Then why are you here?" he demanded, hands stayed for the moment.

"I was washed up from a shipwreck. I was looking for someplace to stay," he explained sulking.

The man looked Ryker up and down, deciding upon something. While he was thinking, Ryker observed the other man closely. He had the callouses of a blade user, his secretive stance signaling him as an assassin. Ryker thought about the people who he was forced to analyze as a student under the master. _The major house in Noxus is Du Couteau. He bears the mark of the Du Couteau house. The only people who bear that mark are Katarina, Talon, and Cassiopeia,_ he mused, _so this must be Talon._ Talon was always an idol growing up. His seemingly impossible to follow movements were the stuff of legend at his camp. His rise from street thief to master assassin had inspired many people at camp.

Talon finally looked up, "Come with me." They walked through the cobble streets of Noxus, turning left at an intersection. He walked up to a large manor and took out a brass key.

"What are you doing, Master Talon?" Ryker asked inquisitively.

He froze. Talon turned around and watched Ryker with narrowed eyes. Then his mouth turned upwards in a small grin.

"You are an observant one."

That's all he said before turning around and opening the door to the manor.

"Welcome to Du Couteau Manor. Do realize the only reason I'm letting you in is because you remind me of myself, before General Du Couteau found me. It was through his guidance that I became who I am today," he explained, walking forwards to a large common room, with a big fireplace and comfortable looking seats.

"My sisters are already at the Institute, so we have time to talk. First, if you are going to stay here until you recover, you're going to work for it. I won't give you impossible tasks, but ones that should be okay for you to work for, even though you're not in the best condition," Talon said, in a voice that booked no argument.

"That is the least I can do for your help, sir," Ryker thanked.

"You can only stay for a few days, because I'm leaving for the Institute soon," he explained. He motioned for Ryker to sit, before taking a seat himself.

"Oh, I was heading to the Institute too. I was going to Bandle City, but my ship was attacked by pirates, before I was left beached on Noxus. Since you're going to the Institute, I was wondering if I could accompany you," Ryker asked politely.

"Really? What are you heading to the Institute for?"

Ryker remembered what happened at the field. Jordan's face as he died, the promise Ryker had made.

"I wish to apply for a spot as a champion," he lied, staring Talon in the eyes.

"Hmm," he thought about that for a moment, before nodding and standing up.

"Fine. But I will not wait for you if you fall behind. If you are a potential champion, then you should be able to keep up with me," he warned before motioning towards the shower.

"Go take a bath. I'll make something to eat, but after that, you'll have to make your own food. We start work tomorrow morning," he said brusquely before leaving the room. A few minutes later, he came back with some clothes that looked Ryker's size.

"Wear these for now. They'll provide you with everything at the Institute, champion or not," he said as he walked to his room.

Ryker looked at the clothes, and looked back at Talon.

"Why are you really doing this for me?" he asked. Talon stopped.

Without turning, he said, "There's something about you I can't place. Something dangerous. That, and also you're an interesting person."

He walked away at that, leaving Ryker alone with his thoughts. _He's beginning to suspect something. I just hope I can keep him hidden from the truth until we get to the Institute,_ he thought, as he walked towards the shower. _I hope Karma and Irelia are ok. Maybe they made it to the Institute already. Maybe I'll meet them there. Yeah, that's it, they're most likely there already. It's not like they're trapped in a city with only one way out, right?_

* * *

 **End Notes:**

 **So, at the end of writing this chapter, I realized that I may be rushing through this. I would really appreciate it if you guys could comment on whether I'm progressing the story a bit too fast. This is why I split up the characters, so to slow down the pace. I don't have any ideas for the next chapter, except that I want it to be focusing mainly on Karma and Irelia's journey through the Voodoo Lands. I think from now until they reunite back at the Institute, there will be alternating POV chapters. As for the mysterious master, he has plans. Don't worry about him. Yet.**

 **This next part contains information on my updating schedule. As I said earlier, I have a lot of projects to do. I'm going to have to put those first, before coming back to this. Also, I'm starting to get hooked on Sword Art Online... O_o. So I'm going to be slowing down my updating by a lot. Maybe a chapter every few weeks. I hate this as much as you do, but I need time to sort school things and think of ideas for the next chapter. I apologize for the delay in advance and hope you guys don't hate me. =~=.**

 **Thanks again and see you next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: All right! I'm finally back... :/ I said a few weeks... came back a couple of months later. I'm a terrible person.**

 **Anyways, school is being a huge pain. I've not found a lot of writing time due a combination of homework, League, and anime... Ok so two of those things are my fault, but homework isn't. Especially since I go study Vietnamese on Sundays. That doesn't help either.**

 **SKT won worlds again. I'm pretty happy since they're my favorite team. No I'm not a bandwagoner. I've been a fan since I started playing League, which was right after the introduction of the current Summoner's Rift map back in... like early season 5? HAH, I remember when I didn't know who Faker was xD. Good times. I also ended the season at Bronze 2... Terrible. Maybe if I had actually tried to climb higher earlier in the season, instead of waiting until the last month to do so would have helped.**

 **All right, I'll address what everyone is thinking about: Pre-season 7. I'll make it short; I suck at Katarina now, don't own Rengar or Talon, Leblanc's ult confuses the hell out of me, Kha'zix can literally 1v1 any champion now, Garen is getting 3-7% armor pen on his spin-to-win move that stacks up to FIVE times + plus Black Cleaver which = around 50 something % armor pen... O_O Rito fix plse. I'm definitely happy about Shyvana's new passive. It makes her focus on objectives, specifically dragons (no I don't own an account on the PBE) a** **nd I wouldn't be surprised to see Shyvana in competitive play. Not that her passive is the only thing changed... You'll have to look up the new passive, because I'm too lazy to put it in here. And the reason I'm saying that she'll see competitive play again isn't just because of the passive. Are you sitting down? You'd better be! Her ult can no longer be cancelled mid flight! THAT'S RIGHT! No more Lee Sin ult kicking you away as you jump, no more Janna knockback! I'm not sure about Azir's ult though... regardless it's still a major thing, at least to me it is.**

 **I hope you enjoy the chapter, as well as the story so far! Criticism is appreciated. My goal is to get this to the 40k word mark, and then I'll go on from there. I don't have a goal for follows or favorites, so anything is fine. Thanks to Jcl107 and F1NAL Z3Ro for being my first followers! Check our their stories if you have the time! F1NAL Z3Ro has over 200 stories... damn. I don't think anyone has read that many xD. On with the story!**

 **Note: I don't own Riot, or League of Legends, or its characters, but I own my OCs.**

 **Update: 20 mins after upload: Mispelled main character's name 4 times... FML... fixed***

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Karma woke up with a yawn and gazed out the window towards the approaching dawn. The soft orange light comforted her and wrapped her in a warm embrace. She glanced downwards towards her friend. Irelia was still asleep, her breathing light and quiet. Careful not to wake her, Karma slowly got out of her bed and walked towards the door. Upon reaching it, she grasped the handle and carefully pushed it outwards. The door was well-oiled, so it didn't make a single creak. With her task accomplished, she let out her breath and went around the house, observing what she could.

A porcelain vase caught her eye and she bent down to examine it. The green lines swirled around it, giving it a vine-like look. The red on the bottom looked like flame, reaching towards the vine, devouring what it could. No matter how high the flame went, the vine always climbed higher, until it reached the mesmerizing blue of the sky.

"Got an eye for pottery?" a voice behind her asked.

Karma jumped, not hearing Tristana come up behind her.

"Erm… it's a nice vase," she said sheepishly.

"Yep. It's something I found floating around in the ocean. There's no engraving of a name or entry of where it's from; it's a very interesting piece," Tristana explained.

"So, when you found it, was it in this condition?"

"Oh no! It looked terrible! But I put some work into it and it turned out pretty nice. I just had to find the right tools, that's all. Anyways, that's why I was out at sea when you guys were in your little tube; to find more things like this!"

They fell silent, admiring the gentle beauty of the vase. Irelia, who had just woken up, came over with her hands stretched into the air, yawning. She studied both of their faces, and looked at the vase.

"Did the vase do something?" she asked.

"Oh! Hello Irelia, didn't see you there," Karma greeted.

"Helooooo! And no, the vase didn't do anything. It's just a really nice vase." Tristana said with a clap of her hands.

"Is that it?" Irelia asked.

Karma sighed. "You never appreciated the arts Irelia."

"And I have no regrets," she said promptly.

Tristana stepped back from the vase, "Hey, we should probably get something to eat before we leave. I've got everything packed up, so all we need now is breakfast."

"You didn't stay awake all night, did you?" Irelia asked.

"Yep!" she replied proudly.

"We could have done it with you, you didn't have to stay up all night," Karma said.

"No, no, no. I can't ask guests to do that! Besides, I have loads of energy! More than I know what to do with. 10 cups of expresso will really boost your energy level!"

Irelia and Karma glanced at each other and shook their heads.

"Do you know any good places to eat around here?" Irelia asked.

Tristana pondered this for a moment. Then she brightened and jumped excitedly.

"I've got it! Let's go to the Entourage! It's a great little café. We can get what we want from there," she said, already walking towards the door.

Karma and Irelia gave each other a look and shrugged. They were used to the yordle's exuberance. They followed Tristana out the door into the soft caress of the morning sun.

* * *

"Wow, I thought cafés only made ordinary food. This was probably the best breakfast I've ever had!" Irelia exclaimed. Her plate was empty for the third time.

"It was quite good," Karma agreed.

"What did I say? I told you! There's nothing like it anywhere else," Tristana said proudly.

The café was a small place, but well-cleaned and homey. The air of the café was light and happy. A group of yordles sitting at the table next to the three champions were huddled and discussing something in low voices.

"Did you hear? Parks City was burned down yesterday," a male yordle whispered.

"Could it be the same people who've been attacking travelers?" a female voice spoke up this time.

"I would think that it's likely, but you never know. You can't take anything for granted in these times. Even the Scouts can't find anything," another male voice said, his voice deep. The café door opened to admit some construction yordles. They were chattering animatedly about what the work was going to be that day, blocking out the sound of the three speculators.

The three women looked at each other with worry and unease. The most recent news was a bit unsettling.

"So that's another city down…" Tristana said sadly.

"Was this city important? Did it have any agricultural value?" Karma asked.

"Not really, it was out of the way, a kind of settlement, not really a city." she said.

"Well, it's too late to do anything about it now. We should probably leave as fast as we can. We need information. A lot of it," Irelia said.

They all nodded, stood up, and left the café. They traveled down the roads of Bandle City, before reaching the gate out of the city. A yordle guard stopped them there.

"Hello there, what brings you three to the gates?" the guard inquired.

"We wish to leave the city," Tristana explained. The guard's look darkened.

"Are you sure? There have been many attacks on unsuspecting travelers in recent weeks. It might not be safe for you to go right now."

"We're pretty sure about our safety, but thanks for telling us," Tristana said, shouldering her huge cannon. The guard opened his mouth for a few seconds, thinking of something else to say, then closed it. He nodded once and motioned for them to go through the gate.

"Be careful!" he cautioned as they left the city behind.

The three women nodded and turned away and started their journey to the Institute. They traveled with caution and watchful eyes, expecting something, or someone. Surprisingly they didn't encounter any opponents until the entrance to the Sablestone Mountains. The pass was pretty small, small enough for only a single caravan to traverse. When they reached the pass, a ragged man jumped out of the bush, loosely grasping a knife.

"Hehe, this is my pass. You need to pay if you want to get pa—" he said before a loud _bang!_ blasted him into the bushes. Tristana's cannon was still smoking when she put it back on her shoulder.

"Stupid toll takers. Thinking they can charge for a natural path," she grumbled.

"Was that not a bit excessive?" Karma asked.

"Probably. But the world is better off without these people. Anyways, I just saved a lot of people's money by taking him out."

Karma didn't say anything, just nodding and walking forward to the mountains, Irelia and Tristana in front of her. The mountains were grandiose, the peaks stretching towards the sky. The formations of rock seemed to make everything smaller. In the light of the mountain, people could see how small they truly were in Valoran.

They had to pay close attention to the road, for there were many detours that led to caves or ravines. Tristana kept them from going in the wrong direction, as when they were in the mountain range, they couldn't see anything except rock and sky. At around midday, they stopped at an outcropping of small rocks. They sat down and took out some sandwiches Tristana had made for their journey. Not much was said while they were eating; they were enjoying the scenic view of nature around them. When they were done, they decided to rest a little longer.

"So what do you think about the mountains?" Tristana asked.

"They're…well… big," Irelia said.

"They are really nice. I can feel the fresh air and taste the cleanliness," Karma answered.

"Yep. But sadly, we won't be here for long. We reach the Voodoo lands pretty soon."

With that, they set out again, traveling through the pass and trying to reach the end of the mountains. They seemed to go on forever. Very little vegetation grew here. What did grow was hardy and tough enough to survive the intense cold during winter and the scarce amount of light.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the group reached the exit of the pass. The change in the air was immediate. A darkness permeated into everything it touched. The rocks seemed malignant, the ground was barren, and even the sky seemed a little bit darker than usual.

Karma shivered, "There is dark magic here."

Tristana nodded solemnly, "There are former Noxians here. I've heard they study the magic of this land."

The three of them stood, searching the land ahead of them for some sign of danger.

"Well, we're not going to get anywhere by standing around," Irelia bluntly stated.

They silently agreed and all began walking into the unknown. Craters littered the ground and were deep enough that the light couldn't reach the bottom. No one knew how they got there. They were just another odd part of the world.

The three women were only half an hour in when they heard a huge roar. It shook the ground and was full of anger. They all turned to find the source. Coming out of one of the craters was a huge skeletal creature. It had a long spiked tail, that complemented the armored body. It had four legs and a huge, razor-filled mouth. It looked more like a monster than a real animal.

"Well that's not good," Tristana said grimly.

"I don't think my blades will do any good against that thing," Irelia said worriedly, shifting her blades to her hands.

Karma quickly formulated a plan. _Can't attack it head on. It has too much armor and has many frontal weapons. A rear assault is futile because of the tail. Attacking from the sides doesn't work for the same reason._ Suddenly, she thought of a solution.

"We can't outrun this thing, so we have to try to wear it out. Tristana, I want you on the left side to distract it while Irelia tries to get closer to it to maybe hit its eye or head. I will keep you both protected."

Irelia and Tristana nodded before taking their positions. The beast glared at Irelia and began to charge her. The giant feet smashed the ground, making it tremor with every step. Irelia ran to the right, luring it towards Tristana. The giant gained on Irelia, but at the last second, Irelia dove out of the way.

"Hey! Fat-ass! Over here!" Tristana taunted, shooting at the beast's toes with her cannon. The blasts did little to the monster, other than to annoy it. The animal roared in irritation and began lumbering towards Tristana. Karma cast a shield on Tristana, allowing her to move away faster, as well as protect her from any glancing blows. This was just as well, for the giant spun surprisingly fast for its size and smacked Tristana with its tail.

The shield blocked the spiked appendage, but it didn't keep Tristana from being knocked backwards. Right before she was going to hit the ground, she rocket-jumped upwards and stopped the downward motion.

"That thing hits pretty hard," Tristana said, trying to catch her breath.

"Are you alright?" Karma asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, before charging back into the fight.

Karma moved cautiously, carefully positioning herself so she could be close enough to hit the giant, but far enough to avoid its tail and mouth.

Irelia ran to the backside of the creature, careful to stay in its blind spot while Tristana was distracting it. She shot her blades at its legs, doing very little to the bony calf. She retreated and looked for an opening or weakness. _Hmm. Nothing I can do will pierce through its armor. The only places I can hit it are the eyes, but that means getting closer to its mouth. Not to mention how I'm supposed to get up there._ She resolved to just make it run after her and expend its energy that way.

Karma saw Irelia's attempt at hitting the creature with her weapons. She knew that it wasn't going to work. Despite the giant running nonstop, it didn't seem to be tiring at all. Karma didn't know how long they could keep up their tactic.

The three champions were starting to get tired. Irelia's movements were becoming sluggish, each charge of the giant inching closer and closer. Tristana couldn't keep up with Irelia and was lagging behind. Karma herself was using a lot of energy trying to protect her comrades.

Suddenly, Irelia jumped onto a rock, using that as a boost before flipping herself onto the creature's back. It stopped in place, trying to shake off the annoying human. Irelia's grip was firm, though, and the creature gained no headway. Tristana saw that the giant had stopped and fired a blast from her cannon that knocked the beast to its knees. It roared again in frustration and uncertainty.

Karma took advantage of its momentary halt to attach a spirit link to the beast. After a few seconds, the link activated and snared the beast in place. She shot a blast of magic at its face and blinded it for a little.

The giant let out an angry howl that shook the ground. It was afraid of the magic that kept it in place. It hadn't ever seen something like that before. It had eaten many humans, but none of them had ever used magic before. It tried to get up and charge, but was firmly rooted in place.

Tristana started firing cannonballs over and over into the creature, keeping it from regaining balance and managing to chip away at some of the armor plating.

Irelia jumped towards the head of the monster and lifted her blades high into the air. Then she stabbed them straight down into the monster's eye socket. She took out the blades and jumped off the giant, landing lightly on her feet.

The creature let out a roar of agony before falling silent and still.

The trio went to each other with smiles.

"We did it! HOORAY!" Tristana exclaimed, "That's what I'm talking about! A fight with a giant skeleton monster gets the heart racing, ya know?"

Irelia smiled tiredly at the yordle, "I think it did a little more than that."

"I think that's enough action for one day, don't you agree?" Karma asked jokingly.

Tristana pouted, "Fiiiiinnnneeeee. But what was that thing? I've never seen it before."

Karma had been wondering what it was too, but she couldn't think of anything that resembled the beast.

"I'm not sure, but it was pretty tough," Karma said.

"Definitely. It never seemed to get tired. If we didn't kill it right when we did, someone would have gotten hurt," Irelia said solemnly.

The trio went to investigate the beast. It was certainly dead, but they didn't know _what_ was dead.

The three of them pondered on what it could be, each engrossed by the foreign creature.

"Did you kill this?" a man's voice sounded behind them. They jumped at the sound and turned, weapons in hand. Two cloaked strangers stood there, hands raised in a sign of surrender.

"We don't mean any harm, we just want to know if you killed this," a woman's voice sounded this time.

"Yes, we are the ones who killed this beast," Karma said cautiously.

The man and women took off their hoods and bowed to the three ladies.

"Thank you, you have saved our Order from destruction. This beast had been plaguing us for weeks, and we couldn't get any food or materials. We would have all died if you hadn't killed it," the man said. His face was worn from the weather, and had many lines, signaling age. The woman was the same, but she had a more controlled look.

The three ladies were a bit surprised at the sincerity coming from them.

"May I ask what Order you are referring to?" Irelia inquired.

"Oh, pardon me, we are of the Grey Order, a group of Noxians who disagreed with the politics and chose to live in the Voodoo lands to study dark arcana," the woman answered.

"But were not killers or anything," the man reassured quickly.

"So you work with dark magic?" Karma asked skeptically.

The woman answered this time, "Kind of… we don't use dark magic negatively, as contradictory as it seems. We just seek to understand it, and use it to help us, because that's all we have here."

Tristana spoke up at this point, "Hello! My name's Tristana," she moved forward and held out her hand.

The cloaked man blanched and took a look at Tristana's tiny hand. He tentatively reached out and shook it quickly before letting go. He suddenly remembered something.

"I'm so sorry! I forgot my manners. I always forget! Well, nice to meet you Tristana. My name is Gregori. Gregori Hastur," he introduced.

The woman also introduced herself.

"I am this fool's wife, Amoline Hastur." Gregori feigned a hurt look.

"My name is Karma, and this is my friend Irelia," Karma said. Irelia gave a small wave.

"It is an honor to have champions of the League with us," Gregori said with reverence.

"How did you kill the Qar'Gon. We only came up when we heard it roar in pain," Amoline asked. They looked at her, questioning the term.

"So it's called a Qar'Gon? What a weird name," Irelia said.

"It means 'Boned Devourer' in the native's language," Gregori explained.

Karma, who had been listening intently during this conversation, spoke up at this.

"To answer your question, we locked it in place with magic, before Tristana knocked it down. Irelia then stabbed it through the eye," Karma explained.

The couple looked at the three of them in awe and wonder. They didn't think that anything mortal could take out a beast that size. The parties they had sent after it never came back.

Amoline gave Gregori an odd look. Gregori studied his wife for a moment, before slightly nodding his head. Amoline looked relieved before turning to the trio.

"Have you heard anything about our daughter?" Amoline asked.

At this, the three champions turned to her.

"Daughter?" Karma asked.

"Yes, you have probably met her somewhere at the Institute. Her name is Annie," she explained.

The three travelers were shocked at this. Annie was a pleasant girl outside the rift, but she never talked about her past. Most people assumed she was an orphan who had lost her parents at a young age. Clearly, that wasn't the case.

"Annie, the Annie who has the huge teddy bear? The Annie who shoots fire at people? That Annie?" Irelia asked in bewilderment.

"Yes. We sent her to the Institute at a young age, because we knew she wouldn't be safe here," Amoline shook her head sadly, motioning towards the carcass of the big creature.

"We also wanted her to develop her powers on her own. If we had tried to teach her the ways of the Grey Order, she wouldn't have become as powerful as she could have if she learned by herself. She has a magic beyond us," Gregori explained.

Tristana stood there with her mouth open. She didn't really have much to say, because she wasn't really close with Annie. She didn't hate the young fire mage, but they never really talked much. _I wonder if Annie knows about this,_ she thought.

"Well… Annie is doing fine. She is one of the most powerful mages at the Institute and is a very nice young lady," Karma assured.

"Yes, she is. We're on our way to the Institute right now, actually. Would you like us to pass on a message?" Irelia asked.

Amoline and Gregori hesitated briefly. They had left nothing of themselves with Annie. She wouldn't remember them if they said something. Gregori looked at Amoline and she agreed.

"No… she wouldn't remember us. She was really young when we left her at the Institute. She wouldn't remember us," Amoline said. Irelia understood where she was coming from and nodded.

"Well, we have to leave now for the Grey Order. We only came out here to check on the creature. Thank you for telling us about our daughter and killing the beast. If you need something of us, ask and we will try to" Gregori thanked, Amoline nodding behind him.

"It was nice to meet you two. We do have something we want to ask you," Karma said.

"We will answer it if it is within our power," the couple agreed.

"Have you had any trouble with bandits or have any of your camps attacked recently?" Karma asked.

Gregori and Amoline thought about the question for a moment. They had heard the news about towns and travelers disappearing in both major and minor towns. Nothing of the sort had happened to the Grey Order, though.

"I can't say that anything like that has happened to us, but we'll keep an eye out for any activity. It's the least we could do," Amoline said.

Karma smiled and felt a tiny bit better thanks to the information. She didn't want any troubles to come to the Hasturs. She also felt deeply grateful for the Hastur's assistance with keeping track of the bandits. This way, they wouldn't be blindsided by an attack and would keep track of their enemy's movements.

"Your help is appreciated," Karma replied.

"Although… when did these bandits start popping up?" Gregor asked.

Karma thought for a moment. Now that she thought about it, when did they start popping up?

"I'm not really sure… I think around a month ago…"

Tristana piped up at this, "The same can be said for Bandle City…" This wasn't anything new to them. Once they realized their interests aligned, they decided to share all info with each other in order to try to connect some links.

"That's odd… this beast started attacking us around the same time," Amoline said this time.

Everyone looked a bit shaken at the revelation. Do these events coincide? Are they just bandits? If so, where do they get these beasts? How are they so organized? These questions were running through their heads as they pondered for a moment.

Karma finally broke the silence, "I see… well this makes our mission of even greater importance. Be sure to keep a watchful eye out. You never know what might come next."

"We will. Be careful yourself now," Amoline answered. She and Gregori waved and retreated back to their village. The three champions waved back and watched until the two Hasturs disappeared behind the mountain.

"Shall we continue?" Irelia asked.

Karma smiled. "Yes, we shall."

They trekked for a while longer, but realized that they had spent longer than they meant to in the Voodoo Lands. They found a cave in the side of the mountain and decided to camp there. Nothing was said while they set up camp and started a fire. Tristana decided she was going to go for a walk and left the two Ionians alone. The mouth of the cave wasn't far away, allowing for an unobstructed view of the night sky. The stars were especially bright, their lights seeming to glow brighter at the mountain. Karma found herself staring them, mesmerized by their beauty. The night sky reminded her of the times of her childhood, where she and Irelia grew up. She smiled lightly, but inside, a pang of sadness dampened her mood.

Irelia noticed this and sat next to her friend. For a while, nothing was said as the two watched the stars, enjoying each other's company.

"There wasn't anything more you could have done Karma. You saved the people of the village."

Dismayed at the fact she could be read so easily, Karma replied, "Not all of them. If only I had done something sooner, then maybe I—"

"Karma, don't think too much on it. One of the most important things I learned during the war was that I couldn't be everywhere do everything, save everyone. We're not gods, Karma, not even close. We can only do so much. Do what I did Karma. You need to understand that while you may not have saved everyone, you still saved people other than yourself. If you keep beating yourself up over something that happened years ago, then you will only become a shell of your former self," Irelia said firmly.

Karma's mouth turned upwards in a grin. Her friend, while not the most open-minded, could be wise when she wanted to.

"You are right Irelia, I shouldn't be focusing on what I couldn't do. I should be focusing on what I actually accomplished. Someone must have been paying attention to our teachers," she teased, feeling better.

"Hmph. I might have picked up a thing or two, but that doesn't mean I'm going to become a scholar," she grumbled.

Inside, she was happy she could help her friend. Once you've experienced war, it changes you forever. She had gone through the same thing Karma was currently going through right then. It was tough for her to deal with, but she got through just fine with the help of Soraka, and Riven, surprisingly. The one thing she couldn't get over was with Ryker. She never got the chance to say thank you for saving them.

Karma glanced at her friend and saw that she too was suffering from the past.

"Irelia, follow your own advice, and understand that Ryker did his best in the end. Nothing we could have done would have stopped him."

"I understand that Karma, but I don't know what was so important that he had to go back into the ships. I mean, even he could see that they were going to blow soon. It would be like me running straight through a fight between Ziggs and Jinx!"

Karma had thought about that too. What could be so important that someone would risk their life to go back and get. He said he didn't remember his family, so that crosses of a lot of things. Nothing too big, or they would have seen it on his person. Maybe a locket? Karma just hoped that before he died, he found what he was looking for. That would be a small comfort for her.

They were sitting quietly, contemplating, when they heard the familiar tune of Tristana's return. She twirled around, smiling, and walked into the cave humming to herself quietly.

"Did you find something?" Irelia asked, confused as to why the yordle was so happy.

"Nope, just walking around helps me appreciate the beauty of the natural world. Shooting cannonballs at people is fun, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I need a little bit of perspective. It's what keeps me from turning into someone like Jinx. Jinx is kind of like me, but the one big difference is that she doesn't really care what she blows up. She doesn't look around and enjoy what there is to offer all around her. Me? I enjoy blowing things up, but I enjoy seeing the small things that make up the world a lot more," Tristana said sagely.

Irelia and Karma just stared at her, shocked at the fact that the Yordle Gunner could be so respecting of nature.

Tristana looked at them oddly, "Did I say something wrong?"

Irelia and Karma quickly shook their heads.

"No… it's just that we didn't really expect you to… well... think about peaceful things," Irelia said sheepishly.

Tristana stood, staring at Irelia for a moment, before slowly walking towards her. Irelia felt a bit threatened by the look on Tristana's face. Tristana kept walking until her face was right in front of Irelia's. Karma observed the both of them, feeling very nervous. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours.

Finally, Tristana spoke, "Irelia."

"Yes…?" Irelia felt VERY scared now. She'd never seen Tristana look like this before.

Suddenly, Tristana burst out laughing.

"HAHA! You should have seen the look on your face!" She fell backwards, hands over her stomach, and laughed like a maniac.

Karma and Irelia nervously chuckled while looking at each other and wondering what was going on.

"Anyways, you're right that most of the time, I'm not a peaceful thinker, but I think about how much fun I'm having at the moment, I always remember that I am having fun because of how this world shaped me," she says as her laughter subsides.

Karma nodded, "I understand where you're coming from. I used to love walking through gardens, but now I can't find the time to. I'm either in a political meeting, fighting on the rift, or called to other countries as a diplomat."

"Tsk Tsk Tsk Karma," Tristana said, shaking her head, "You can't just hope that the time appears, you have to _make_ time. Sometimes, the best thing for you is to just relax. You can't carry the weight of Ionia on your shoulders alone. That's why a country is made up of _people_ , not one person."

"I keep telling her to loosen up, but she never does, no matter how hard I insist," Irelia laughs.

"Bottom line is this: it's okay to give the work to someone else for a change. I do that all the time with Teemo and look at me now!" she exclaims. At that they all laugh and realize that they are more alike than they first realize.

Night fell on them as they were talking, and they decided to eat dinner before anything else happened. While dried beef and hard biscuits may not be the most appetizing, they filled the stomach really well. The easiest way to eat the food was to let it salivate in their mouths for a little, then eat it. This way, they didn't break their teeth on their meal.

After their meal, they set up their sleeping bags and laid in them.

"Should we set a watch?" Irelia queried.

"Nah, I think we'll be fine. No one goes into the mountains at night. The fear of the mountain keeps them away. It freaks them out when they walk out at night and see something towering over them," Tristana says.

"I think we'll be fine. Anyways, Tristana, how long until we reach the Institute?" Karma asked.

"Hmm…," Tristana thought for a minute, "If we leave early tomorrow, we should reach the Institute within a week, give or take a day or two.

"All right! I'm ready for an early start. I'm pretty sure anything we run into is better than that skeleton beast at this point," Irelia exclaimed.

Karma smothered the fire with the blanket Tristana brought and they all laid there, thinking over things. Karma had actually found this journey enjoyable so far. She hadn't been much of a camper in her youth. Sure, the skeleton animal was pretty scary, but other than that she'd had an interesting time so far. _Maybe Irelia's right,_ she thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep, _maybe that battle with the Qar'Gon is the only thing that will happen on this journey._

She had no idea that she was terribly, utterly, and horrendously wrong.

* * *

 **Author's End Note: Another chapter! Hooray for me... This one is more for background and character development. The following questions are hypothetical.**

 **Q: Yo! Why is it 5k words?**

 **A: Well it's kind of hard for me to think out a continuous stream of 7,000 word chapters while dealing with everything else. So for now, I'm going to keep it at 5,000 words at least.**

 **Oh, and because I'm a jerk, I'm going back to Ryker next chapter. :) You'll have to wait 2 chapters for the one about Karma and her gang. Don't worry, they'll meet up with Ryker soon, maybe in around 2 or 3 chapters or so.**

 **And NO! This is not Yuri, or Yaoi, or anything like that. I have no beef with anyone who writes that stuff, but I'm telling you all now, that is not what this story is going to be about. I'm not even sure it's going to be a romance in the first place... I'm on the fence about it. For now, they're all friends, nothing more, nothing less...**

 **Q: Why Tristana?**

 **A: I don't know... she seemed to me the type of person who could surprise you around every corner. I'm not sure if she'll be a main character, or a toss-away, but she'll be there for another few chapters guaranteed.**

 **Q: Why did you make Irelia's character the way you did?**

 **A: Well, I've read a lot of perspectives on Irelia. She's seen as an** **isolated individual, who's contemplative, passionate, and has a burning spirit. That's a cool way to see her, but with Karma in this story, who is like the exact same thing, I wanted to change Irelia into someone who's fiercely loyal and not afraid to speak her mind. I mean, two people who don't talk to each other at all is kinda boring right? I tried to make it so Irelia balances our Karma, with Tristana as a midpoint. You know; x1 + x2 divided by 2, y1 + y2 divided by 2** **= the midp- so anyways you get what I mean. If you want to see a great character developer, read Viper of Grand's "** **NaNoWriMo: All That I Have"** **, as well as his "A Blade Reforged." His character development is off the charts! "All That I Have" is really well written and it's transitions of characters and their own journeys flow like a river. I also like KibaElunal's way of connecting each and every story. You can start from almost any story of his and still understand it, though you should start with "A Boy and His Fox" first. "Manifesto" surprised me in a delightful way. The plot twist transition from his latest chapter... oooh man! It makes perfect sense now that I reread through it. I see a lot of things, but I never expected that one.**

 **For more stories/authors I would recommend, you can PM me, or msg me how you see fit.**

 **I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. I'm averaging around 1,000 - 1,500 words per day when I have the time (aka feel like) writing. Thanksgiving Break will give me time for sure, but I'm having some family issues... might as well say it, I trust the community here. My grandpa on my mother's side is dying. He's been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis which is the number one disease that kills the elderly. Basically, his lungs** **have deteriorated over the years from many asthma attacks. He also smoked a lot when he was younger, as well as being hit with pneumonia recently. It will be really hard for him to breathe, and then... yeah...**

 **It's kind of hard to watch. I'm trying to be the big man and help my direct and indirect family through this, which means I can't let my own emotions show. So I'm asking that you give me and my family some time to go through our traditions and stuff, and if he does pass soon, then please understand what we're going through. :) I really want to keep writing, I really do, but family comes first, always.** **Anyways, I hope you guys understand, and I'll see you later.**

 **~Araulen**


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